This past Saturday was the beginning of the race season for me. I loaded up the car for the 2 hour 45 minute drive down to Charlottesville, VA (according to Google Maps). Of course I got out the door about 40 minutes later than I had originally planned, but I seemed to have everything in order and ready to go. I ended up pulling out a 2 hour drive time and made it there 5 minutes earlier than the noon registration cut off time. First off, it was a hot day. Not just hot, but really hot. It turned out to be the areas firsts 80° + day…it was 82° when I pulled in to the parking lot and 85° and cloudless at the start of the race. The race was delayed by a couple of hours and there wasn’t a whole lot of shade, so I just hung out around the car, drinking gatoraid, and talking with the other racers. Met some cool guys from the Lynchburg, VA area, who were jumping into the singlespeed class.
So about 2 hours after our race should have started, they let us go. Singlespeed class was the last wave to be released and we had to do 2 laps and follow the Expert signs. They seemed to really stress how well marked the course was in the prerace meeting and it was apparent they did a lot of work to mark the several different courses. Back to the race, my class only had 7 entrants and it was wide spread between newish singlespeeders and veteran old timers. The guys from Lynchburg seemed to be on the newish scale, but rocked it all the same. As it turns out I wasn’t the only fixie. Tim Richardson from Harrisonburg made it down with a couple of other Shenandoah area bike nuts. Interesting side note, Sue Haywood raced against the expert men.
The countdown is on and we take off. Out of the gate we have to climb the paved road up the trailhead. It’s the first 300 yards of the race and I’m just fighting to keep these guys in sight. Trailhead off to the right and it’s on. A nice little flat, but rocky area to regain my lungs before we head downhill. Little did I know that the little flat section was probably the last real flats I would see for the rest of the day. You see, the O-Hill course is pretty much either up or down. The downs are usually littered with roots and baby head rocks. The ups are usually steep, like when these trails were built people never heard of a switchback, ha. The course isn’t too twisty, just enough. The roots and rocks didn’t bother me at all. The roots were a little less than the rooty course at Lodi and the rocks are no where near as bad as say Gambrill, so all in all the course isn’t super technical, but it’s enough to keep you on your toes and it will throw you at a moments notice if you space out.
Up to this point I haven’t seen a cloud. I’m a good half way through the first lap and the heat is just beating me down. I only have one water bottle with a mixture of liquids in it and I’m plowing through it. I’m just not use to this kind of heat and sun this early in the year. Eventually the steep hills took their toll on me. I ended up hike-a-biking it on the really steep stuff. This of course made me take the downhills with reckless abandon. At one point I managed to take a turn somewhere that ended up cutting a piece of the course. That was pretty much it for me. The race director had specifically mentioned how well the course was marked, so I can only blame myself. I was probably looking down at the trail and just followed the most worn main trail and must have missed a side piece.
At the end of the lap I told the race director I should be DQ’d for cutting the course. I got in about 1.5 of the 2 laps needed. After the DQ I headed back to the car, relaxed a bit, and then packed up for the 2 hour drive home. Kind of sucks to DQ anytime, but a bunch of factors made it not so sucky - mostly the fact that I’m still way out of shape (I had no business on those hills, ha), the sun was giving me it all it had, and this being the first race of the year there will be plenty more chances to pull the coveted DFL.
So no bitterness here, just in the beer. I mean I was outside riding my bike on the first 85° Saturday of the year…what did you do?
At least you made it out. “Sunny” California was rainy most of the time I was there. Sucked.
I read people complaining about the poor course markings on Ridemonkey.com. Wuzzupwidat?
What’s the next race, slim?
“I mean I was outside riding my bike on the first 85° Saturday of the year what did you do?’
Uh, I was outside riding my bike on the first 83 degree Saturday of the year. Well, at least for the late afternoon (after helping Jason move). Hit Patapsco with the Outlaw and Bill and got in just under 13 miles. Of course, I had my ass handed to me on a sliver platter, but the suffering was sublime all the same. Forgot how steep and long some of those hills are; or maybe I usually avoid them, ha!
Sucks about the race, but hey, the first one of the season is training anyway, right?
Nice write up… I was outside all day on that first 85 degree saturday of the year. Easy 50 on the road enjoying all the sights. What a great day!!
A sufferfest yes, I concur. I bonked AND crashed twice but did happen to make all the correct turns somehow.
Were you in a retro CB wool jersey?
Have you seen results anywhere?
I didn’t realize you ridin’ fixed out there, sheeeeet man. I rode the course before the races started and took wrong turns over and over again. Had to laugh when the RD kept talking about how well it was marked. Got a bunch of photos, just havn’t gotten up yet. Here’s one.